


Hulk and His Priestess

by JUMPINGMANATEE



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2020-08-20 22:16:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20235250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JUMPINGMANATEE/pseuds/JUMPINGMANATEE
Summary: After Hulk disappears from Sokovia, he crashes lands in a forest where he is found by a certain Time Traveling Priestess. Two years pass and Bruce is once again found by Tony Stark, but Bruce is a completely different man, calm and happy. Tony convinces Bruce to return to New York, but Bruce doesn't return alone.What will the Avengers say when Bruce returns with Kagome? How will Natasha react and what is this evil that has returned?





	1. An Unexpected Meeting

Kagome's adventures in the past were over, and it was time to move on. But she was not going to do so alone. When she returned from the Feudal Era for the last time she found Shippou waiting for her outside the Bone Eater's Well.

"Hello, mother." He said a tall dark-haired man with stunning green eyes and a pleasantly deep voice.

"Shippou?"

He smiles and removes his glamour to reveal his red hair fox ears and six beautiful luscious tails.

"Shippou it really is you, why is it I never seen or felt you before now?"

"500 years is a long time, Kagome, I learned a lot of things and one of those things is to blend in better with the humans," Shippou informs his mother.

"Why are you just now coming by?"

"Lord Fluffy Pants made me wait till you finished your mission in the past before involving myself in your life now."

"Sesshomaru is still alive?" 

"Of course he is, he a powerful Daiyoukai, I don't think anything could kill him. Anyway, the reason I'm here is to make sure that you're alright and because Sesshomaru doesn't want and I quote, 'The Miko to wallow in self-pity and make something of her life.' So Sesshomaru is going to pay for you to get tutors so you can catch up and go on with school. Afterward, he expects you to come work for him."

Kagome stared at Shippou in shock, the only thing that came out of her mouth was, "Okay."

"Good, now that, that is settled, how about you introduce me to the family."

And that was how it went Sesshomaru arranged for the best tutors for Kagome and she was able to catch up, go on to high school and college then ended up working for him at Taisho Industries as one of his executives. But she remained a humble Miko, living at home, helping her mother out every weekend with her duties at the Sunset Shrine.

On one of those weekend, Kagome decided that she wanted to spend some alone time in what was left of the forest of Inuyasha. She packed a lunch took a blanket and told her mother that she would be gone for the day in the forest.

"Okay, Kagome has a nice time."

With that, Kagome hikes off into the forest. And as she walks, she lets her mind wander. She continues to walk enjoying the sound of nature that is slowly drowning out the sound of the busy city. But suddenly she realizes that something is wrong when she enters a clearing. There are trees that have been pulled up by the roots and tossed around everywhere. 

Kagome looks around, fear beginning to stir within her, what could have caused such destruction? Suddenly she hears a deafening roar, Kagome drops her basket and blanket and immediately puts up a barrier around herself. Then out of the forest comes crashing an eight-foot-tall hulking green creature. The creature is bare-chested with torn pants and no shoes, it roars once again at Kagome and rushes at her. Kagome stands firm, waiting to see what will happen when the creature hits her barrier. If it's a demon it will be instantly purified, if not, well shit, she didn't know what she was going to do.

As the creature comes closer, she braces for impact, it leaps into the air ready to smash her. It hits the barrier and is thrown back 50 feet, crashing and destroying more trees. Kagome gasps, when it hit the barrier, she was able to feel it's soul, it was human! A very angry human, but human nonetheless. Kagome instantly lowers her barrier picks up her basket and races off towards the direction that the creatures had been thrown. When she sees the creature slowly sitting up, holding its head.

'Why do I keep call him it when he's obviously male?' Kagome thinks.

As hulk sits up he looks around and sees the puny female that he attacked earlier come into the clearing though she stopped a good distance from him. He wanted to roar at her so she would get away from him, but he suddenly realized that he no longer felt any fear or anger towards her. He actually felt pretty good. Hulk stares at the pretty girl for a few seconds and then gets up and to leave.

"Wait!" Kagome shout.

Hulk pauses and looks at Kagome, he growls when she takes a few steps closer to him. Kagome stops, places the picnic basket on the ground then backs away several feet.

"Take it, you must be hungry." She tells him.

Hulk turns around and walks toward her, never taking his green eyes off of her. He reaches down and picks up the basket. He sniffs it to make sure it safe, then tears the lid off. Inside there's enough food to feed at least three people. For some reason, Kagome had decided to pack a lot of food for her excursion out in the forest that day. Now she was grateful that she did, it may not be enough to fill him up but it may be enough to stave off starvation for a while. Hulk looks up at her and snorts, he takes the basket and heads back into the forest without a second look back.

"I'll take that as a thank you," Kagome says to herself.

Looking at her watch she notices the time and decides she's had enough nature for one day and heads back to the house, 

"I'll come back tomorrow." Kagome tells herself, "After I go to the market for more food."

The next day after The shrine closes down for the day, Kagome's mom goes upstairs to take a shower and a nap leaving Kagome alone so that she can prepare more food for the green guy and bring it to him. Once she is finished, she packs it all up again and heads out into the forest. following the same trail she did and seeing the path of destruction left by the green creature, Kagome easily finds him sitting in the grass staring at the trees. The creature turns and growls when he hears Kagome coming. She stops a few feet away from him and sets down another basket with food in it.

"I brought you more food."

The creature glares at her but gets up. He walks over towards her and picks up the basket. Sniffing it to see if it's safe, he takes the basket and walks away again. Then suddenly stops, he turns around and stares at Kagome.

"Hulk." He says as he points to himself.

"Hulk" Kagome repeats.

Hulk nods and snorts then walk off into the forest.

Kagome sighs and heads back towards the house, she wonders if she'll ever get close enough to Hulk to figure out what happened to him.

In the meantime, Hulk goes deeper into the forest, he sits down and dumps the basket onto the ground, looking at the food he realizes that the food will never fill him up, but it is enough for Banner. So reluctantly he lets Banner come back, slowly Hulk shrinks back and Bruce appears. Bruce looks around disoriented clutching the torn pants to himself, he looks around to see that he's in the middle of a forest.

"This isn't Sokovia, Nat, Tony, Steve?" Bruce calls out, "Where the heck am I?"

Bruce looks down and sees an array of sandwiches and some bottles of water. without even thinking he lunges for the water and starts drinking. He knows its safe because the Other Guy would have known if it wasn't, so he's not worried. He picks up a sandwich and starts eating, then suddenly it occurs to him.

"Where did this food and water come from?"

In his head, he hears Hulk provide the answer.

"Pretty pink girl."

An image flashed in his head of a beautiful Asian woman with stunning blue eyes, who is, in fact, glowing pink.

'Pretty pink girl, huh? Well, you're right about that.' Bruce thinks.

In the back of his mind, he hears Hulk rumble in contentment and peace. That was something new. Bruce had never felt the Other Guy other than angry. Bruce finishes the sandwiches and water then he stands up, clutching his pants he sighs.

"I need to figure out where I am, I need to get back to either Sokovia or New York. I need to get back to Nat."

At the thought of leaving Hulk roars, "NO!"

Bruce stops walking, "No what do you mean no, what about Nat?"

"NO, PRETTY PINK GIRL!" Hulk roars.

"What are you talking about?" Bruce asks and continues to walk.

Realizing the Bruce wants to leave, Hulk surges forward and takes over, plunging Bruce into darkness again.


	2. Identity Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome figures out who her mystery guest is.

Kagome walks home after taking Hulk the food. The name he gave is very familiar to her, she's heard it before but she can't remember where. Going into the house she sees a duffle bag on the floor and a pair of men's shoes in the corner. Smiling Kagome realizes that Souta has just arrived from college. Going upstairs to see her little brother, she pokes her head in his room to see if he's there. She gasps when she sees a poster on the wall.

It's a poster of the Avengers, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Captain America. But what really caught her eye was the last member of the Avengers, the green giant standing in the background. Her eyes widen at the sight, it's the same creature she found in the forest, Hulk.

Kagome was staring so intently at the poster, she didn't hear Souta coming down the hall.

"Hiya Sis," Souta says as he comes back to his room.

Kagome jumps, startled at the sound of his voice. Souta laughs and goes to his bed.

"Souta, who is that?"

"Oh, come on, Kagome, you've been back long enough from the Feudal Era to know about the Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes," Souta says as he lies down on his bed.

Kagome rolls her eyes, "I know about the Avengers, Dork, I meant him, the green guy, what do you know about him?"

"Oh him, that Hulk, or more precisely Dr. Bruce Banner. A world-renowned scientist who was highly respected for all his work in the fields of Biochemistry, Nuclear Physics, and Gamma Radiation. He was working on trying to recreate Captain America's super-soldier serum when he was blasted with a high level of Gamma Radiation, causing him to turn into the Hulk. From what I understand he only turns when he's really angry."

"Maybe not." Kagome mumbles.

"What do you mean?" Souta asks.

Kagome sighs, "Souta, what would you say if I told you I think the Hulk is living in the Forest of Inuyasha right now?"

Souta bolts upright, "What?! How do you know that?"

"Because I ran into someone that looks a lot like him the other day when I went for a walk and I today I took him some food. So unless there are two beings like that in the world, the Hulk is residing in our forest."

"Cool, let me guess, you're going to help him."

"As best as I can, yes."

Souta gets up and goes to his closet, he pulls out a pair of pants, shirt, shoes, and socks. He packs them all in a spare duffle bag and hands it to Kagome.

"Here, I think we're about the same size, take these to Dr. Banner when he shrinks back down."

"Thanks, Souta."

"You're welcome, Sis."

The next day, Kagome heads out into the forest again. She takes with her the duffle bag and more sandwiches and water for Hulk. Taking the same trail she took the last time, Kagome isn't surprised to find Hulk sitting under a tree. As if he's waiting for her, he looks up and grins at Kagome.

"Pretty Pink Girl," Hulk says.

Kagome looks at him and raises an eyebrow, "Pretty Pink Girl?" She repeats.

Hulk grin turns into a smile and he snorts in affirmation.

Kagome smiles at him, "Okay I can live with that, but really my name is Kagome."

Hulk gives her a puzzled look, "Gome?"

"Yeah, Kagome, but you can call me Gome if you want."

"NO, Pretty Pink Girl." Hulk insists.

Kagome giggled, "Or you can call me that. Now I brought you some more food and water. I also brought some clothes for you when you change back into Dr. Banner."

Hulk looks at her startled, Kagome only smiles at him and slowly moves closer.

"Yes, I know who you are Hulk, you and Dr. Banner."

Hulk snorts in disgust, "Puny Banner."

Kagome frowns and moves even closer. Hulk doesn't seem to mind, though, so Kagome decides to be bold and goes to sit right next to him.

"What's the matter Hulk, you don't like Dr. Banner."

"NO!" Hulk tells her.

"Why?"

"Banner, leave." Hulk tries to explain.

Kagome looks at him confused for a minute, then it dawns on her, "Oh Dr. Banner wants to leave."

Hulk nods.

And you don't, why?"

Hulk looks down at her and gently places a finger on her head. "Pretty Pink Girl."

Kagome blushes, "You don't want to leave because of me?" She asks.

Hulk nods.

"What about your friends, the Avengers?"

Hulk crosses his arms and shakes his head, "No Avengers, Pretty Pink Girl."

"Oh I see, you'd rather be with me than with them. Well, if that's how you feel, why don't you let me talk to Dr. Banner and try to convince him to stay, at least for a little while. Then while we talk, Dr. Banner can get something to eat and drink. I even brought clothes for him."

Hulk thinks about it for a moment, he grunts then nods.

"Great, I'll leave this bag here and go wait over there, so Dr. Banner isn't embarrassed."

Kagome leaves the duffle bag and walks away. Hulk takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. He suddenly begins to shrink and Hulk turns back into Dr. Bruce Banner. Bruce opens his eyes and looks around, he's surprised to find himself in the same forest as before. Looking around he notices the basket of food and water again, but this time there's a duffle bag. Cautiously he scoots over toward the duffle bag, while still clutching his torn pants. Upon opening it, he's surprised to find clothes, shoes, and socks that look like they might fit him. Quickly he gets dressed, looking around Bruce notices that there's no one around.

"Hello?" He calls out.

"Are you decent?" A female voice answers.

Bruce looks down at himself, "Um, yeah, you can come out now."

Kagome steps back into the clearing cautiously.

"I hope the clothes fit alright." 

"No, the clothes fit fine. Who are you, where am I?" Bruce asks.

"My name is Kagome Higurashi and you're in the forest on a shrine in Tokyo."

"Tokyo, the Other Guy brought me to Japan, how?" Bruce asks, mostly to himself.

"That, I don't know, all I know is Hulk was really upset when he attacked me -"

"He attacked you?! Are you alright?"

"Perfectly fine, Dr. Banner, Hulk discovered I'm not like every other human he can push around."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, I can handle myself around him and he won't be trying to attack me ever again. Besides, since that incident, he's become more comfortable around me."

Bruce really wasn't satisfied with her answer but decided to drop it for the moment. He looks around and sees the basket full of sandwiches and water, Bruce bends down to pick them up."

"You?"

Kagome gives him a radiant smile. "Well, I very well couldn't let you starve, now could I?"

Bruce blushes and dips his head, "Thank you."

"You're very welcome, here why don't you sit down and have something to eat?"

Bruce takes her advice and goes to sit under a tree. Unwrapping one of the sandwiches, he begins to eat while Kagome opens the bottle of water for him. He thanks her and takes the water from her. Kagome then sits down next to him and waits for him to finish eating. As he eats, Bruce observes Kagome out of the corner of his eye. He can't help but notice how young and beautiful she is. With porcelain skin, inky black hair and the most beautiful sapphire eyes he had ever seen. But it wasn't just that she was beautiful, sitting next to her, Bruce began to realize how at peace he and the Other Guy felt. He had never known such peace since his accident, maybe not even before. Bruce wasn't sure if it was the tranquil forest or the girl sitting next to him that was giving him such peace. All he knew was that he liked it.

Once he was finished, Kagome picked up all the trash and put it back in the basket.

"Now that you're finished, Dr. Banner, I'd like to talk to you about something."

"Please call me Bruce."

"In that case call me Kagome."

"Okay, Kagome, what do you want to talk about?"

"It's about Hulk. He told me a little while ago that you want to head back home."

"He told you that?" Bruce asks, amazed.

"Not in so many words but I got the gist. The thing is, Bruce, you may want to leave, but Hulk doesn't."

"Well it really isn't his choice, this is my body, my decision," Bruce informs her a little irritated.

Kagome gives Bruce a quizzical look, "You seem to be under the impression that you and Hulk are two different beings inhabiting one body."

"That's because we are."

Kagome sighs, she was afraid of that. Just from Hulk's comment alone, she got the feeling that they thought that they were two seperate beings, but with Bruce's comment, that just confirmed it.

Kagome takes Bruce's hand, "Bruce that couldn't be further from the truth, you and Hulk are two halves of the same coin."

"And how would you know that, Kagome?" Bruce says as he reluctantly pulls his hand out of Kagome's.

"Trust me, I have experience with that. Tell you what, why don't you come stay at our shrine for a little while. From what I heard on the news, you've had a trying experience recently. Stay for a while and let me help you and Hulk learn to get along."

Bruce thought that was an odd request, why would this stranger be willing to help him? What was she going to get out of it? He hadn't realized that he had asked that out loud.

"I don't get anything out of this, Bruce. I just want to help and see you and Hulk at peace. What have you got to lose? Just delay your return for a little while."

Bruce thought about it for a little while. What really did he have to lose? It's not like people were cheering for him to come home. Right now people were even more wary of him since the incident with Wanda Maximoff. And if he thought about it did he really want to go back to that right now?

'NO!' Hulk roared in his head.

Getting that response from the Other Guy, Bruce made up his mind.

"Alright, Kagome, I'll stay for a while. You're right what do have to lose?"

"Great, stay here for a little bit, let me go inform my family that you'll be staying with us and then I'll come back for you," Kagome tells him excitedly.

"Will there be a problem?"

"No, not at all, just give me some time to get everything set up."

Bruce nods and Kagome takes off back to the house.


	3. Getting Bruce Settled.

Kagome runs back to the house to inform her mom about Bruce. Seeing her mother sweeping the patio, Kagome runs up to her. 

"Mom, I invited someone to stay with us for a while."

"I know, Dear, your brother explained to me that you met someone in the forest that you want to help. He told me everything, I think it's very kind of you to want to help and I have no objections. I already prepared your grandpa's old room for him."

"Thanks, Mom, you're the best," Kagome says as she kisses her mother on the cheek and goes back out to the forest.

She finds Bruce still sitting under the same tree. As she walks up to him, she takes in his physical appearance. He's in his mid 40's and is more or less about 5' 9" with an average build salt and pepper hair with warm brown eyes, with a mild manner about him. Though she finds that his aura is constantly under stress and anger, overall she finds him very attractive.

Walking up to him she holds out her hand to help him up. "Okay, Bruce everything has been arranged. You'll be staying with my mother and me at the Shrine. While you're there I'm going to teach you some techniques to help you with your stress and anger that will help you and Hulk get along better."

Bruce looks at her hand and hesitates, "Do you really think this is a good idea, I mean technically I'm in the country illegally. I don't want to get you and your family in trouble."

"Don't worry about that, I'll take care of everything," Kagome reassures him.

Bruce sighs and takes her hand. "Okay, lead the way."

Helping him stand, she leads the way back to the shrine. Upon breaking through the tree line, Bruce takes in the sight of the shrine. It's a simple little shrine, though very beautiful. Bruce had been in Japan before it was quite a while ago and it was when he was a fugitive, he never made it to Tokyo and he never visited any of the shrines. They were too much of a tourist attraction and he couldn't run the risk of being recognized. This shrine though didn't seem that busy. There were a few people around, mostly locals, he could see a woman tending to them in the distance.

"That's my mom," Kagome tells him.

Bruce nods.

"Come on I'm sure you'd like to freshen up a bit and maybe take a nap in a real bed."

"Yeah, I would, thank you, Kagome."

Kagome leads Bruce into the house and takes him inside. Going upstairs she shows him to her the bedroom he'll be staying in.

"This used to be my grandpa's bedroom, he passed away a few years ago, so we use it as a spare now. The bathroom is down the hall, my little brother left you some more clothes in the drawer."

"Thank you, Kagome."

"No problem, Bruce."

Kagome then leaves and shuts the door. Bruce goes to the drawer and takes out a pair of sweat pants, a t-shirt, and some underclothes. He heads for the bathroom to take a shower. Getting in the shower he adjusts the water to where it's nice and warm and gets in. He sighs as the warm water begins to relax his muscles, while he washes he thinks about the girl that has offered to help him.

Aside from being beautiful, Bruce notes that she is unusually kind. He had never met anyone that would go out of their way to help a complete stranger the way Kagome was. He was actually considering himself very lucky to have met her. In his head, he hears a rumble of contentment.

"Pretty Pink Girl, Kind," Hulk tells him.

'She sure is, Big Guy.' Bruce thinks.

Bruce can already tell that the Other Guy is very fond of Kagome, which he finds fascinating. He thought that the Other Guy liked Natasha, but apparently, he likes Kagome a lot more. Feeling a bit drained after his shower, Bruce dries off, gets dressed and heads back to his new room to take a nap.

While Bruce is taking a nap, Kagome makes a phone call to Shippou.

"Hello?"

"Shippou?"

"Kagome, how are you, how is your weekend going?"

"It's going good, listen Shippou I need a favor."

"What do you need, mother?"

"Do you have any connections to anyone that can make a fake passport for me?"

"Of course, why are you planning on going on the run?"

"No, but I know someone who's in the country illegally."

"Oh no, Kagome, what have you gotten yourself mixed up in?"

Kagome then begins to explain to Shippou about finding Hulk in the forest and that he's actually Bruce Banner and that she convinced him to stay in Japan for a while.

"Mother, you do know that the Avengers are looking for this man?"

"I'm sure they are, but Hulk doesn't want to go back, and I can feel in their aura, Shippou, they're suffering. They both need help, they need to learn that they are one being. I can't sit by and watch someone suffer if I can help them."

Shippou chuckles, "Same old Kagome. Alright, get him here as soon as you can, I need to take his picture for his new passport, while I'm at it I'll get him a work visa too."

"Thank you, Shippou, I think he's taking a nap. I'll bring him once he wakes up."

"No problem, Kagome, once I take his picture I'll have his passport and work visa ready in a week. I'll see you in a little while."

"Okay, Shippou, bye."

Bruce wakes up two hours later, feeling refreshed. He gets up and heads downstairs, but he finds the house empty. Going outside he finds Kagome sitting under an enormous tree with her mother and who he assumes is her brother. Kagome smiles at him when she sees him come out of the house.

"Bruce, how are you how was your nap?"

"It was good, thank you for asking. I hadn't realized how tired I was."

"Let me introduce you to my mother and brother. Bruce this is my mother, Emiko Higurashi."

"It's nice to meet you both, I'm Bruce Banner."

"Nice to meet you as well, Bruce, welcome to our home," Emiko tells him.

"Thank you for having me," Bruce says as he shakes her hand.

"And this is my brother, Souta," Kagome tells him.

"Nice to meet you, Souta, thank you for the use of the clothes."

"You're welcome, Dr. Banner."

"Please, call me Bruce."

Well, Bruce, if you're feeling up to it I'd like to take you to see a friend of mine today." Kagome tells him.

Bruce gives her a questioning look.

"You see I thought about what you said about being in the country illegally and my friend has some connections. I asked him to get you a passport and a work visa just in case you'd like to get a job while you're here." Kagome explains.

"Oh, Kagome, you didn't have to do that," Bruce tells her.

"It's no trouble, Bruce, really. I'm happy to help in any way possible. But he needs to get a picture of you so he can get your passport done." 

"Alright, when do we leave?" Bruce asks.

"Just let me grab my purse and we'll go."

Kagome runs in the house, grabs her purse and keys and comes outside.

"Okay, I'm ready."

She takes Bruce by the arm and leads him down the shrine steps. Bruce stiffens at first when she took his arm but then he relaxes into her touch. He doesn't understand it, every time he has any type of physical contact with Kagome a wave of peace enters him.

They get to the bottom of the steps and Kagome hails a cab. She gives the driver Shippou's address and they head off, they arrive at a luxurious apartment building. They go inside and head to the penthouse, Kagome pulls out her key and opens the door.

"Is this your boyfriend?" Bruce asks.

"No, he's a family friend, that's why I have a key to his apartment," Kagome explains.

Bruce couldn't explain it but he felt a wave of relief knowing that this man was not her boyfriend, He actually felt the Other Guy sigh.

Going inside the apartment, Kagome calls out. "Shippou we're here."

Bruce looks around the elegantly decorated home and marvels. It has an old-world feel to it with a modern flare but is very warm and welcoming. He immediately feels quite comfortable, more so here than when he first moved into Stark Tower.

"Kagome, good, and you brought the Hulk." A man that Bruce can only assume is Shippou says.

"You know who I am?"

"Kagome explained to me, yes, but where are my manners? My mother would kill me, Shippou Nakamura, nice to meet you.

"Bruce Banner, nice to meet you as well."

"So Kagome tells me you'd like to hide out for a while."

"If it's possible, yes," Bruce tells him.

"Trust me, Dr. Banner, it's possible."

"Just Bruce, Mr. Nakamura."

"Please, call me Shippou. Getting you a passport and work visa won't be a problem, so you can stay in the country as long as you want. You'll be able to hide in plain sight here, Bruce, people here tend to mind their own business." Shippou explains.

"Thank you I truly appreciate your help."

"It's no trouble, now let's get started…

Once Shippou gets all he needs, Kagome takes Bruce to the mall so they can buy him some clothes and other personal items.

"You really don't have to do this, Kagome."

"I want to, Bruce, besides you can't borrow all of my brother's clothes." Kagome points out.

Once they finish shopping, Kagome takes Bruce out to eat. They sit in a tiny restaurant enjoying some ramen. As Bruce eats he contemplates the girl sitting across from him, finally his curiosity gets the better of him.

"Why are you helping me, Kagome?"

Kagome puts down her chopsticks and studies Bruce. 

Kagome sighs, "Because I can see how much you and Hulk have suffered, how angry you are, how hurt and lonely you are. And I can't help but want to help you."

"I don't understand how do you know this?" Bruce asks.

Kagome looks around to see that the restaurant is mostly empty and there's no one near them, so she decides to explain.

"I can feel it in your aura. You see Bruce I'm what is know as a Miko."

"A Shrine Priestess, okay" Bruce nods.

"Yes, but I'm not like any ordinary priestess, I have powers, and one of those powers is the ability to sense auras and healing. I can sense the conflict between you and Hulk and I can sense how you and he are feeling. And I can't let you two suffer anymore, so please, Bruce, let me help you. Let me heal your pain."

Kagome was so sweet and so sincere, Bruce could tell that she honestly meant every word she said. He stared into her brilliant sapphire eyes and felt that he could lose himself in them. He suddenly turns away and sighs, there was only one answer.

"Okay."


	4. Healing A Broken Man

They arrive at the shrine just before the sun sets, Bruce marvels at the beauty of the shrine. The way the setting sun hits the building just right is awe-inspiring the architecture of the building is so beautiful, he's surprised it isn't more popular with the tourists. But Bruce guesses that's a good thing for him.

"Tell me, Kagome, who is this Shrine dedicated to?" 

"It's actually dedicated to the Shikon No Tama it's also has a reputation with the locals for being effective at dispelling bad omens from items or events, therefore on occasion, there would be those who would visit it after traveling a great distance." She explains.

Bruce looks at her interested, "Tell me more about the Shikon No Tama, doesn't that mean Jewel of the Four Souls?"

Kagome looks at him surprised, "Yes it does, Bruce, very good."

Kagome then went on to explain the story of the Shikon Jewel, how it was formed, how Kikyo became its protector and what happened between her, Inuyasha and Naraku. They ended up sitting under the Goshinboku tree, while she told Bruce the story. She told him of another priestess who's name was lost through the ages who ended up shattering the jewel, hunting for the pieces throughout Japan with a perverted Monk, a Demon Slayer, a fox Demon Child and of course the Hanyou, Inuyasha. Kagome went on to tell him how they recovered all the pieces and defeated the evil Naraku and sent him to Hell.

Bruce was so entranced and excited by the story he hadn't realized that he had taken Kagome's hand while she was telling it. When he noticed he instantly let go and blushes as does Kagome.

"Sorry, so what happened to the unknown priestess?"

"She simply vanished, nothing more was ever heard of her."

"That was an amazing story, thank you for sharing it with me."

"You're welcome, Bruce, though I think we should go inside, it's getting late. Tomorrow the shrine is closed so you and I have all day to work on some meditation techniques." Kagome tells him.

They go into the house with their shopping bags and head upstairs. Kagome goes to her room while Bruce goes to his. Before walking in they wish each other goodnight.

Bruce puts his new clothes away and changes into his pajama bottoms and t-shirt. Then he goes to the bathroom to do his nightly routine. Going back to his room he takes off his shirt and lies down on the bed. Turning off the light he settles down to go to bed. But as he lies there waiting for sleep to take him, his mind wanders to Natasha, and he wonders if she's even concerned for him at all.

Their relationship hadn't gotten very far, but he did care for her. He wonders if their relationship would have led anywhere if he had stayed, or were they just two lonely people sharing a moment. When sleep finally took him, Bruce ended up dreaming of Natasha.

The next day Bruce woke up early to the smell of coffee brewing, he quickly slipped on his t-shirt went to the bathroom to do his business, and then went downstairs. He finds Kagome making breakfast for just two people. Bruce gives her a questioning look.

Kagome smiles at him, "My mom and brother get up late on Sunday, so I thought you and I could have a nice quiet breakfast." She explains.

Hulk rumbles in contentment at the thought of being alone with Kagome, which strikes Bruce as odd.

"That would be very nice."

Kagome invites Bruce to sit while she serves him breakfast, she had learned the day before that Bruce was a vegetarian, but that he did eat fish and eggs so today she made him some eggs along with the traditional Japanese breakfast. Once Kagome serves herself, she and Bruce begin to eat.

"So, Bruce, in order for me to help you, I need to know you a little better. Would you mind telling me about yourself and about Hulk?"

Bruce hesitated for a minute, he didn't want to frighten Kagome, but he could see she was very interested in knowing about him. And for some reason, Bruce felt this need to open up to her. So he told her everything about himself, things that he had never told another human being, not even Tony or Betty. 

Bruce told her about his childhood about how his father was an abusive alcoholic and that he murdered his mother in front of him when he was a child. How he was picked on in school. Before he knew it, Kagome had come over to his side of the table and was hugging him. He stiffened at first then slowly melted into her embrace.

He went on to tell her how he found solace in studying and how he worked to get seven degrees. Then he told Kagome of his work with the military and the super-soldier serum. And then his accident with the Gamma Radiation.

"And that's how Hulk was born." 

Kagome studies Bruce for a long moment she begins to push her aura into him to see if what he thinks is true, but she doubts it. Kagome is of the opinion that Hulk has always been apart of Bruce, part of his personality that protects him when the stress or the pain is too much. Only now with the exposure to the Gamma Radiation, Hulk can now take form in the physical world. She decides that now is not the best time to tell him this, though.

Once Bruce finishes his story, and they finish breakfast, Kagome tells him to go upstairs and change into some comfortable clothes, and to bring an extra set with him, then meet her outside. Bruce does as she instructs, wondering why he should bring extra clothes. When he comes outside, Kagome has two mats a basket of food and some drinks.

"Here let me help you with that," Bruce offers.

"Thank you, I thought we could start our lesson in the forest, down by the river, I sometimes go there to meditate it's very peaceful."

They get to the river and Kagome puts down her basket and takes the mats from Bruce. Setting them up so they're facing each other, she invites Bruce to sit. They both sit down and Bruce notices how close they are to each other. They sit in the lotus position and stare at each other for a moment. Once again Bruce can't help observe how young and beautiful Kagome is. A picture of Natasha flashes in his head.

'No, Pretty Pink Girl!' Hulk responds and an image of Kagome smiling flashes in Bruce's head. Confused, Bruce decides to ignore Hulk.

"Okay, so what are we doing?" Bruce asks.

"First we sit in the lotus position and then I want you to close your eyes, breath deeply and relax."

"You know I've done meditation before, it only helps to a point," Bruce informs her.

"Yes, but now you're going to do it with me, and you'll see the difference."

"Okay."

Bruce takes a deep breath, closes his eyes and begins to meditate. He slowly feels his body relax, suddenly he feels Kagome take both of his hands in hers.

"Okay Bruce, I'm going to start now, you're going to feel a warm sensation fill your body, but don't be afraid, it's just me."

Bruce nods and continues to meditate. While he's meditating, he feels his hands begin to warm up and tingle, the warmth, and tingling sensation begins to spread through and with it a deep sense of peace and serenity. His heart rate begins to slow, while all the stress that he usually harbors begins to fade. He takes a deep breath and sighs.

"Are you calm, Bruce?"

He nods

"Do you feel at peace?" Kagome asks.

Again he nods.

"Good, now I want you to let go and let Hulk come out."

"What?!" Bruce asks almost panicked.

"It's alright, Bruce, Hulk would never hurt me, I need to help him as much as I need to help you."

Bruce starts pulling his hands away, but Kagome holds on to them firmly.

"It's alright, let him out."

Bruce is about to get up but suddenly Hulk surges forward, catching Bruce off guard, and Bruce sinks into oblivion.

And at that instant Hulk is sitting there in front of Kagome. Kagome reaches out for Hulk's hands which he takes, she smiles at him.

"Hi." is all she says.


	5. Conversation With the Other Guy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome has a heart to heart with the Other Guy.

Hulk smiles down at Kagome, gently removing his hand from her grasp he runs a finger down her cheek.

"Pretty Pink Girl."

Kagome blushes and giggles, "Handsome Green Guy." She tells him.

Hulk's smile turns into a cheeky grin when she calls him that. Kagome reaches again for his hand, but all she can hold is one of his fingers in each hand. She'll make do with what she can.

"Okay, I wanted you to be here so I can help you too, now do me a favor and close your eyes."

Hulk does exactly as Kagome tells him to do. He doesn't understand it, but he trusts her completely, even more than Banner. He seems to always be at odds with Banner, the only thing right now they agree on is that it's in their best interest to stay with Kagome.

So Hulk sits there quietly with his eyes closed, waiting, for what he doesn't know. Suddenly he feels a warmth spreading through him and all of his anger begins to fade.

"Now, Hulk, tell me why are you so angry?" Kagome asks in a gentle voice.

"Puny Banner," Hulk says.

"Bruce, why are you mad at Bruce?"

"Banner no let Hulk out. Hulk mad."

"Oh, so, Bruce keeps you locked up too long so you're mad when you come out."

Hulk snorts in confirmation.

"Hulk do you know why Bruce keeps you locked up?"

Hulk shrugs.

"He's afraid, he's afraid you're going to hurt someone if he lets you out, but I think I know of a solution. Hulk where is Bruce right now?"

"Banner sleeping."

"So then Bruce has no idea what is going on when you take over. I can see why he's afraid."

Kagome's comment hurts Hulk, he begins to sulk and pull away, but Kagome won't let him.

"Pretty Pink Girl scared of Hulk?"

"No, never, but I can see why Bruce is. He doesn't like not knowing what's going on, do you think you can let him see what's going on. Because I know you know what's going on with him."

Hulk gives her a sheepish smile like he's just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Hulk thinks about it for a minute, "No, Puny Banner!"

"But, Hulk Bruce is a part of you, just like you're apart of him. It isn't fair that you can see what's going on with Bruce, but you won't let him see you." Kagome tries to reason with the gentle giant.

Hulk huffs, but he agrees.

"Now let Bruce come back, and give him these memories, I promise I'll see you again soon. Just let me talk to Bruce."

Hulk sighs, he caresses Kagome's cheek once more then let Banner take over. He begins to shrink down and Kagome grabs a blanket she had set aside and covers Bruce. 

Bruce groans when he sits up He takes the blanket and wraps it tighter around himself. Looking around, he spots Kagome who gives him a warm smile. Bruce's eyes widen and he begins to panic.

"Kagome are you alright did the Other Guy hurt you?"

Bruce looks around frantically trying to see the destruction the Other Guy has caused. Seeing the panic on his face, Kagome rushes to Bruce's side and takes his face in her hands.

"Bruce, Bruce, calm down everything is fine, I'm fine. Hulk didn't hurt me, you have nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about, the Other Guy broke through my defenses and took over! What if he does it all the time now, I won't be able to hold him back!"

Kagome doesn't know what to do. With each passing second, Bruce is becoming more hysterical. The only thing that occurs to her, is to push her powers into him and try to ease his stress. Letting her hands glow pink, Kagome begins to pour her Spiritual energy into Bruce.

Almost instantly Bruce begins to calm down. His body begins to relax, and the tension in his muscles eases away. Taking a deep breath Bruce lets it out slowly, feeling his heart rate go back to normal. He looks up at Kagome who smiles at him.

"You alright now?" She asks.

Bruce nods.

"Good, now, Hulk, give Bruce the memories of what happened."

Bruce is bombarded with the memories of everything that happened from the time he blacked out until he woke up. He sees how gentle Hulk is with Kagome, how fond he is of her. He listens to their conversation.

"You really think the Other Guy is handsome?" Bruce asks, feeling a twinge of jealousy.

Kagome blushes. "Well, yeah I do, but I think you're handsome too."

Bruce blushes at her comment. "So you and the Other Guy had a conversation, that's unusual."

"I don't see why he's actually a lovely person." Kagome says a little defensive, "Once you get past his rough exterior."

"I don't understand, how did you get him to give me the memories." 

"I asked him, that's the only way we're going to get anything resolved. Now I'm going to give you a chance to get dressed and then we'll talk about your memories."

Kagome gets up and leaves, once she's out of sight Bruce grabs the extra clothes he brought and gets dressed. As he dresses he goes over the memories that Hulk gave him.

"Okay, Kagome, you can come back now."

Kagome comes back and takes a seat on the mat again. "Alright so let's discuss what we have learned. Bruce, you can't keep Hulk locked up all the time, it's not good for him and it's not good for you."

"I have to, Kagome, he'll go on a rampage if I don't."

"Look through the memories, what did he say?"

Bruce pauses, "That he's angry because I keep him locked up."

"Exactly, he's angry and frustrated and the only way he can express that is by being destructive, but if you let him out more so he can stretch his legs, so to speak, he won't be so angry. I mean he was perfectly calm with me."

"That's because he likes you, and you have a calming presence. What am I supposed to do when I go back to New York and the stress of everyday life get to me?"

"That's what we're going to work on. By the time we're through you and Hulk will be in sync and you'll be able to change without needing a trigger. You have to understand, Bruce, Hulk is a part of you. You and he are two sides of the same coin. Once you both accept that, things will be a lot easier for you."

Bruce was having a hard time with that concept. He wasn't willing to accept that the Other Guy was actually a part of him. But he was willing to go along with whatever Kagome was going to teach him if it would help him get the Other Guy under control.

Kagome studies Bruce's face, she can tell he isn't convinced, "Bruce, you have to try and grasp the fact that you two are one being. To be quite honest, I think Hulk has always been with you. It's just since you're accident he can now manifest himself in the real world."

"What are you saying that I had a split personality?" Bruce asks a little indignant.

"Is it so far fetched, with the trauma that you suffered, tell me did you suffer from blackouts as a child, especially during the abuse of you and your mother?"

Bruce thought about it, he really didn't like thinking of his past, but for Kagome, he would. And as he thought about it, he came to realize that, yes he did.

The look on his face was all the answer Kagome needed, she nods her head. "I think that's all for today, I have to go to work tomorrow, so what I want you to do is come out here and meditate. Try to get in touch with Hulk if you can, if not then just enjoy the tranquility of the shrine. When I get back we'll continue, now let's have some lunch."

Bruce agrees and they both enjoy a quiet lunch together.


	6. A Favor For a Favor

Kagome had already left for work by the time Bruce woke up. He gets up, does his morning routine, gets dressed, and goes downstairs. Emiko has breakfast already waiting for him, Bruce blushes, but thanks her.

"Thank you, Mrs. Higurashi."

"You're welcome, Bruce, and please call me Emiko."

Bruce sits down with Emiko and enjoys his breakfast.

"I hope you don't mind have a perfect stranger in your house."

"Not at all, Bruce, I trust Kagome. She is an excellent judge of character. If she didn't think you were trustworthy, you wouldn't be here. Besides, Kagome told me that you need help, and it would go against everything she is not to help you."

"Has she always been like this?"

"Since she was 15 years old, Kagome has always had it in her to help others. It's just who she is."

"How old is Kagome?"

"She's 25 years old."

"Has she helped a lot of people?"

"Oh my, yes, I'm surprised she didn't become a doctor, instead of a businesswoman. But then again, she does work for a company that does work for a pharmaceutical company, at least part of it is."

Bruce is intrigued by the kind of work that Kagome does; he finds that pretty much anything that has to do with Kagome interests him and the Other Guy. He doesn't understand why.

After breakfast and a pleasant conversation with Emiko, Bruce excuses himself and heads out into the forest to do his meditation. He takes with him the yoga mat and a bottle of water. Spreading the mat down out down by the river, Bruce takes a seat and begins his meditation. He doesn't think he'll accomplish much without Kagome's help, but he's willing to give it a try.

Bruce meditated the whole morning, trying to see if he could get in touch with the Other Guy, but it was hard. Without Kagome as a medium between the two, he wasn't having much success. He decides to call it a day and head back to the house. When he gets there, he sees that Emiko is in the storage room struggling to put away some items, Bruce rushes over to help.

"Emiko, let me give you a hand."

"Oh no, Bruce, that's alright, I got it."

"Nonsense, I'm happy to help."

Bruce easily lifts the boxes and asks where she wants to put them, Emiko instructs him to put them on the top shelf in the storage shed. Once he was done, Emiko invites Bruce into the house for lunch. They have a nice lunch while Emiko tells embarrassing stories about Kagome when she was little, causing Bruce to laugh.

Meanwhile, at work, Kagome's ears are ringing, and she sneezes.

'Someone must be talking about me.' She thinks but then continues with her work.

At the shrine, Bruce tells Emiko that he would like to help out around the Shrine, she says him it isn't necessary.

"I know it isn't, but it will make feel less of a burden to you and Kagome if I can help out," Bruce explains.

Emiko considers it for a moment and decides that it's okay with her. She gives him a few odd jobs to do around the shrine, basically to keep him busy until Kagome returns.

At 4:00, Kagome returns home. She had finished her work early and decided that she would take the rest of the day off. She also put in for some vacation time with Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru thought it was odd, considering that the whole time she has worked for him, she has never asked for time off. And because of that fact, she had accumulated a month's worth of vacation time.

"Are you sure you want to take all of your vacation time now, Miko?" Sesshomaru asks.

"Yes, I have something that needs my full attention at the moment." 

Sesshomaru raises an eyebrow, "This wouldn't have anything to do with the human you are harboring, would it?"

"How did you know about that?"

"Who do you think the Kit came to, to get the passport and work visa?" Sesshomaru says as he pulls an envelope out of his desk and tosses it on the counter.

Kagome takes the envelope and opens it. Looking at the documents, she amazed at how authentic they look. She looks up at Sesshomaru, surprised.

"Do not look so surprised, Miko, I have connections the Kit could only dream of, those documents are not false. Dr. Banner is here legally, so he has nothing to worry about."

Kagome gives him a suspicious look, "Why are you doing this?"

"Do not think I am doing this out of the goodness of my heart; once you have helped him control the beast, I want him to come work for me in my research lab."

"How did you know-"

"Why else would you be helping him, Miko?"

Sesshomaru leans back in his chair, and temples his fingers, "Take as much time as you need to heal the beast within him, after that He will work for me for a year."

"I have to talk to him first, Sesshomaru, I can't make decisions for him."

Sesshomaru nods his head, then goes back to work on his computer — a clear sign of dismissal. 

So Kagome went home, when she gets there she finds Bruce sweeping up the fallen leaves of the Goshinboku tree. She smiles when she sees him.

"Hello, Bruce!" She calls out as she makes her way over to him. 

Bruce looks up and smiles and looks at his watch, "Kagome, you're home early."

"Yeah, I took care of everything I had to do as quickly as I could so that I could get back here, and we could continue with our treatment. Did you meditate as I asked?"

"Yes, but it wasn't very successful, the Other Guy didn't speak once."

I didn't expect him to; I just wanted you to be nice and relaxed. I see my mom put you to work."

"No, I volunteered, I don't want to be a burden, so this is the least I can do."

Kagome gave him a sad smile, "Oh, Bruce, you aren't a burden, we're delighted to have you here, you don't have to work if you don't want to."

"But I do want to work, Kagome, that's the thing."

Kagome hums, then she remembers, "Oh speaking of work, I have your passport and work visa right here."

Bruce gives her a surprised look, "I thought your friend said it wouldn't be ready until the end of the week."

"Well, it turns out that Shippou went to my boss instead and Sesshomaru has better connections, so these documents are the real deal, Bruce, you are now legally in this country and can work anywhere you want," Kagome tells him as she hands him the passport and works visa. 

"Are you serious?"

"Yep, the only thing is that Shippou had to explain to Sesshomaru who you are, and from there, he guessed why you were here."

"Okay," Bruce says a little suspicious.

"Well, you see, Sesshomaru always expects something in return for his favors, so he wants you to come to research him at his medical facility when you have gotten control of yourself. He'll pay you very well, and you will have access to state of the art equipment."

"What do you mean when I've gotten control of myself?"

"See, Sesshomaru knows I'm a Miko, and he knows about Hulk, so he knows that I'm trying to help you and Hulk get along better. As a matter of fact, he has given me as much time as I need off to help you and Hulk. The only thing he asks in return is that you work for him for a year."

"That's it just research; he doesn't want the Other Guy?"

"Oh, Kami, no, Sesshomaru does need or want Hulk. To him, Hulk is of no use for medical research. I know you've been lied to before, Bruce, but I've known Sesshomaru for a very, very long time, his word is his bond If he says all he wants is medical research from you, that's all it is. If you want, I can set up a meeting with him, and you can decide for yourself."

Bruce thought for a moment, he did like the idea of doing research again, and he did trust Kagome's judgment. But most of all, he really wanted to spend as much time with Kagome as possible so that she could help him with the Other Guy. And if working for this Sesshomaru guy for a year was all it took, why not."

"Okay, Kagome, I'll meet Sesshomaru and see what he has to say."

"Great, I'll set it up."


	7. Making Progress

"We still have a little time before dinner, how about we go meditate for a while?" 

Bruce readily agrees.

"Okay, just let me go change, and we'll head out."

Kagome gives Bruce a radiant smile, and together they go into the house. Kagome goes up to her room and changes into her workout clothes, she then heads downstairs and grabs the yoga mats and some water. Meanwhile, Bruce also changes and makes his way downstairs, he takes the yoga mats from Kagome, and they head out.

Upon arriving, they set up the yoga mats facing each other like they did the last time. Sitting down, Kagome instructs Bruce to give her his hands and to begin to meditate. Bruce closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, slowly he feels his body relax. While Bruce is relaxing, Kagome begins to push her spiritual powers into Bruce. She can feel that Hulk is restless and wants to come out. But slowly, Kagome can calm down Hulk and make him relax.

Suddenly an idea occurs to her.

"Hulk, do you think you can come out without transforming?" 

Bruce begins to panic, his eyes open, and he stares at Kagome wide-eyed.

"What are you doing?"

"Relax, Bruce, I want to see something. I promise you'll remember everything. Just close your eyes and breath."

Bruce can't help but do as Kagome instructs. For some reason, he has a great deal of trust in this little woman. Closing his eyes, he begins to relax again.

Once Kagome feels that Bruce is totally relaxed again, she addresses Hulk again.

"Hulk, do you think you can come out without transforming?"

In Bruce's head, Hulk thinks for a moment, He understands what the Pretty Pink Girl wants, but he's not sure he can do it. Hulk slowly begins to surge forward, but it's too much for him, and he takes over entirely and transforms, once again plunging Bruce into darkness.

Kagome smiles at Hulk, who is now sitting in front of her with a disappointed look on his face.

"Sorry." He tells her.

She pats his hands encouragingly, "That's alright, Hulk we need to give it some time, and with a little bit of practice, you'll be able to come out without transforming. In the meantime, how do you feel? Are you still angry?"

Hulk looks at Kagome and shakes his head.

"Good, what has caused your anger to go away?"

Hulk smirks at Kagome, "Pretty Pink Girl."

Kagome blushes, "So I'm the reason you're no longer angry?"

Hulk grunts in confirmation.

"Well, I'm flattered."

"Hulk like Pretty Pink Girl," Hulk says as he runs a finger down Kagome's cheek.

"I like you too, Hulk," Kagome tells him.

Suddenly Hulk reaches out and picks up Kagome, she looks at him surprised but doesn't say anything. Hulk cradles her to his chest with one hand while stroking her back with a finger, and he makes a rumbling noise of contentment. Kagome realizes that Hulk is hugging her, she leans her head against his chest and closes her eyes, enjoying the warmth radiating from his chest. After a while, Hulk puts Kagome down and smiles at her. He likes the fact the Kagome isn't frightened of him in the least bit. He pats her on the head then lets Bruce take over again.

Shrinking back down, Bruce sits up and looks around, "What happened?"

Kagome blushes, "I, um think Hulk was flirting with me."

Bruce's eyes widen, "Really?"

"Yeah, I think he was, Hulk, give Bruce your memories."

Instantly, everything that transpired between Kagome and Hulk flashes in Bruce's mind. Bruce couldn't help but blush at Hulk's antics, he clears his throat and shyly looks at Kagome.

"My, it looks like the Other Guy is very affectionate towards you."

"Yeah, he is."

"And you don't mind?" Bruce asks.

"Why would I mind?" Kagome asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Because he's a dangerous monster." 

"No he isn't Bruce, he's very sweet, he's just misunderstood, that's all." 

Bruce couldn't help but feel a little jealous at the way Kagome was talking about the Other Guy.

"Besides," Kagome continues, "If I were trapped all the time, I'd be angry too." 

"So you're saying it's my fault that the Other Guy is always filled with rage?" Bruce asks, getting a little defensive.

"Of course not, I'm not saying that at all, you didn't know that, that is what was making him angry. You were trying to protect yourself and the people around you. But now that you do know his rage comes from being suppressed for so long, we need to work on having you two get along, and sharing your body."

"How do you mean?" Bruce asks.

Well, what I want to do is get you two to a point where Hulk can transform, but you'll still be present in his mind. And you need to have Hulk have control of your body without having to transform."

"Do you think we can do it."

"Yes, it's just a matter of trial and error, and it will be easier once the two of you accept the fact that you two are the same person. Bruce, you do not have two souls living in the same body, though your soul is abnormally large. I'm not all that surprised.

"How do you know?"

"As a priestess, I can see a person's aura and their soul, and I can tell by your aura that you're a good person and that your soul is big enough to accommodate you and Hulk."

Bruce wasn't too convinced about the whole soul thing, but he wasn't about to argue with Kagome about it. He would just let it go for now.

"I think we've done enough for tonight; I brought you some shorts and a t-shirt just in case. So let me leave, and you can change, then we'll head on back to the house for dinner. Tomorrow we can try again, only this time I'll start with Hulk and see if he can let you in his mind."

They went back to the house were Emiko had dinner waiting for them. Bruce went upstairs to shower and change quickly then he came downstairs to enjoy his meal with Kagome and Emiko. After dinner, Bruce volunteered to do the dishes while mother and daughter went into the living room to watch TV. When he was finished, he joined them to watch a movie. Once it was over, everyone went upstairs and went to bed.

The next day, Kagome was up early and had breakfast on the table, ready for Bruce and Emiko. Once they had eaten, Kagome packed two bento boxes and some water in a cooler then told Bruce to change into a pair of shorts and to bring extra clothes with him. Bruce does as she says, then carries the yoga mats out into the forest. Once there, Kagome tells Bruce to let Hulk come out. 

When Hulk comes out, he once again smiles at Kagome and caresses her cheek.

"Good morning, Hulk."

"Morning, 'Gome."

Kagome is surprised, "You said my name."

Hulk gives her a cheeky grin, "Like Pretty Pink Girl better."

"Well, you can call me either. Now today, we're going to try and get you to let Bruce into your mind. Do you think you can do that?"

"Let Puny Banner out?" Hulk asks.

Kagome giggled, "Yes, let Bruce out."

Hulk grunts in affirmation.

"Okay, let me take your fingers."

Kagome takes hold of Hulks fingers, slowly she pushes her spiritual energy into him, causing him to take deep calming breaths. Hulks eyes slowly start to close, little by little Hulk feels his mind begin to open, and he feels another presence in his mind. Startled, Hulk gently pulls away from Kagome and stumbles back. 

Kagome looks at him, concerned, "Hulk, what's wrong?"

"Puny Banner in here," Hulk says as he points to his head.

"Kagome gets excited, "Can he see what's going on?"

Hulk nods.

Kagome stands up and rushes Hulk hugging him, "That's great, can Bruce speak?"

Hulk shakes his head no.

"Well, at least we know he can see what's going on; that's a start. Good job, Hulk."

Hulk smiles proudly.


	8. A Little Push

A few weeks had gone by, and Bruce and Hulk were progressing nicely… well, Hulk was. Hulk was now able to transform without the need to get angry, and he was able to let Bruce into his mind so that he could see what was going on. But Bruce was having a harder time relinquishing control of his body to the Other Guy. It was like Hulk accepted that they were the same person, but Bruce couldn't. 

It probably had something to do with the fact that every time Hulk transformed, he would play around, hug, and flirt with Kagome, and Bruce was forced to watch. Bruce wouldn't say that he was jealous of the Other Guy, more like envious. Because while Kagome played around with Hulk, she was a little bit shyer around Bruce when they weren't working on his problem. She still spoke with him, but not with the same confidence she talked to Hulk. Bruce was beginning to believe that Kagome likes the Other Guy more than him. Okay, so maybe he was a little jealous. 

What Bruce didn't know was that Kagome had a massive crush on him, but Hulk did. Oh, Hulk knew perfectly well that Kagome liked him so he would show her how much he liked her, too, by being affectionate with her. But, he also had an ulterior motive. Hulk wanted Banner to realize that he had feelings for Kagome, and for him to give up this notion of being with Natasha. 

It annoyed Hulk that Banner still thought of Natasha. Sure, Natasha was important to Hulk too at one point, but Kagome meant far and away much more to Hulk than Natasha ever could. Hulk couldn't understand why Banner's mind kept wandering back to Natasha when Kagome was right in from of him and was perfect for the both of them.

So, Hulk would make his flirting over the top sometimes to see if Banner would react and do something, but all Hulk ever heard was Banner sulking and beating himself up in his mind. Bruce felt conflicted, he liked Kagome, but still had this misplaced sense of loyalty towards Natasha. Bruce also felt that he was too old for Kagome. He was, after all, 46 years old, and Kagome was only 25. He was old enough to be her father. So he decided to leave well enough alone, much to the Other Guy's complaint. 

Kagome, on the other hand, had no qualms about Bruce's age. After all, she once was in love with 500-year-old Hanyou. What difference did 21 years make? The thing was, she didn't know how to approach Bruce. She knew that he often thought of someone else, Kagome heard him once mumble the name Natasha in his sleep when he first arrived. At the time, she didn't think anything of it, but now it hurt her to think that maybe Bruce was in love with some woman. So Kagome decided that the best course of action would be to be friends with Bruce and see where it went from there. 

One afternoon after another successful session with Hulk, not so much with Bruce, Kagome decided to make her move.

"Hey, Bruce, how about after we shower and change you and me go to the movies, my treat."

Bruce hesitated for a minute, wringing his hands as he thought. Finally coming to a decision, "Sure, why not, it could be fun."

"Great, why don't you shower first and get ready, while I check to see what's playing," Kagome tells him. 

"No, Kagome, you go ahead and go first, I'll see what's playing."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely."

Kagome agrees and goes upstairs to get ready. Meanwhile, Bruce looks online to see what's playing. He decides that they're either going to watch the latest James Bond movie on one called Heart of the Ocean with some actor named Chris Hemsworth who, for some reason, looks an awful lot like Thor. Personally, Bruce would rather see watch the Bond movie, but he'll let Kagome decide.

Fifteen minutes later, kagome comes out of the bathroom. 

"Okay, bathroom's free," She yells as she walks to her room in her robe and her hair wrapped in a towel.

Bruce gathers his things and heads for the shower. Meanwhile, Kagome is in her room, brushing and blow-drying her hair. She applies some make-up, a little bit of eyeshadow, and eyeliner. Then she puts on a pair of black skinny jeans with a green blouse and applies some lip gloss. She puts on a pair of black ankle boots.

By the time she's finished, Bruce has already showered and changed and is waiting for her downstairs. He's standing nervously in the living room, wringing his hand waiting for Kagome. Bruce doesn't know why he's so nervous, he is. He sits down on the sofa and takes a deep breath. 

"Get a hold of yourself, Banner, it's just a movie."

At that point, he hears Kagome's door open, he stands up from the sofa and turns to face the stairs. Bruce's breath is caught in his throat when he sees Kagome coming down the stairs. She's a vision of loveliness and not for the first time he wishes he was 20 years younger. He is still convinced that Kagome could never be interested in an older man like him.

Kagome gives him a breath-taking smile when she reaches the bottom of the stairs. 

"So, what movie did you want to see?"

Coming out of his stupor, Bruce answers.

"Uh, well, we could either see Heart of the Ocean or the latest James Bond movie," Bruce tells her.

"Ooh, let's watch the James Bond one, I've always loved those movies," Kagome informs him. 

"I was hoping you were going to say that I finally get to watch it with someone who won't criticize the hell out of it for being unrealistic."

Kagome laughs, making his heart flutter. She grabs a light sweater, and they head out to the theatre. They walk down the shrine steps, then make their way towards the theatre. As they walk, Kagome takes hold of Bruce's arm, he stiffens at first, but then he relaxes and enjoys the walk. They walk in comfortable silence, with each one enjoying the other's presence.

Getting to the theatre, they buy some popcorn and sodas then head in. And while watching the movie, Bruce notices Kagome shiver, so he tentatively wraps his arm around her shoulder. When she doesn't say anything, he goes back to watching the movie. Meanwhile, Kagome is squealing in her head; she is so excited to have Bruce's arm around her shoulders; she doesn't know what to do. Kagome took a deep breath and leaned into Bruce, hoping he won't rebuff her. Fortunately, he only seems to tense for a second, then settle back down. 

Two hours and 40 minutes later they get out of the theatre. 

"That was a good movie; I hope it's not Daniel Craig's last Bond film, he makes a great Bond." Kagome comments.

"Yeah, he does," Bruce agrees.

"Hey, do you want to get some sushi, there's a restaurant close by," Kagome asks.

Bruce smiles at her, "Yeah, I could eat."

They head over to Sushi Kanesaka and have dinner. Once they have eaten their fill, they walk back to the shrine, Kagome still holding on to Bruce's arm. 

Once they made it up the shrine steps, they go inside. Kagome turns to Bruce to tell him she had a wonderful time, but he speaks at the same time, they both laugh. 

"I just wanted to thank you for inviting me to the movies, Kagome, I had a wonderful time," Bruce tells her.

"Yeah, I did too; maybe we can do that more often," Kagome says.

"Yeah, that would be nice."

They stand there in awkward silence until Kagome throws caution to the wind and reaches up and kisses Bruces on the cheek, she blushes and runs upstairs.

"Goodnight, Bruce." She calls out when she reaches her room and shuts the door.

Bruce stands there in shock; he places a hand on his cheek where Kagome kissed him and smiles.

"Goodnight, Kagome.


	9. Bruce's New Job

Bruce stood there for a while longer, contemplating the kiss on the cheek that Kagome had given him. Was it just a friendly kiss, or did it mean something more? He slowly made his way upstairs, got ready for bed, and went to sleep, that night was the first night he ever dreamt of Kagome.

But the next morning he was a little unsettled, he didn't know why he dreamt of Kagome, though it was a pleasant dream, it rattled him afterward. Did Bruce really see her more than just a friend?

'Banner like 'Gome.' Bruce heard the Other Guy speak up in his head.

'No, I don't,' Bruce thought back. 

'Yes,' Hulk insisted

'No, I don't,' Bruce countered.

'YES!' Hulk roared in his head, making Bruce wince. 

"It doesn't matter if I see her that way or not, I'm too old for Kagome. She would never want to be with an old man like me." 

It was the only excuse he could cling to so that he wouldn't get hurt. He couldn't use the Other Guy as an excuse anymore, not to start a relationship, stating he was too dangerous. Bruce knew that now that was a lie, especially with Kagome. But all his self-doubt and his insecurities wouldn't let him even consider the possibility of him being happy, Bruce sighs and gets up from his bed.

Getting ready for the day, he heads downstairs to have breakfast. When he arrives there, Kagome greets him with a huge smile. He returned it with his tentative smile.

"Good morning, Bruce," Kagome says. 

"Good morning, Kagome, how did you sleep?"

Very well, thank you, and you?"

"The same," Bruce says.

"That's good, say I was wondering if you'd like to go to Taisho Industries to see where you'll be working, now that you have Hulk under control."

"Are you sure I should go now," Bruce asks a little uncertain.

"I don't see why not, you and Hulk get along great, your anxiety and stress level is non-existent now, you can handle it." Then Kagome thought for a moment, "Unless you feel like you're not ready." 

Bruce thinks about it for a while, "I guess there's no harm in taking a look. I'd like to see what your friend has set up for me."

"Okay then, let me call Sesshomaru and get something set up."

Kagome walks passed Bruce, then pauses, she thinks about kissing his cheek again but changes her mind. She doesn't want to push her luck. Instead, she runs upstairs and gets her phone, calling Sesshomaru, she explains to him that Bruce has gotten his anger issues under control and would at least for now like to see where he would work at the lab. There is a long pause.

"I shall have a car retrieve you and Dr. Banner in an hour, be sure you are ready, Miko, Shippou will accompany the two of you to the lab. The Kit will explain everything to him. Afterward, you will come here so I can meet him."

"Okay, Sesshomaru, we'll be ready."

Kagome goes back downstairs to Bruce, who is enjoying his breakfast with Emiko.

"Okay, I talked to Sesshomaru, he's going to have a car here in an hour to take us to the lab, Shippou will join us to answer any question you may have."

Bruce nods, they finish their breakfast then head to their rooms to change into more appropriate attire. An hour later there's a knock at the door, Kagome answers the door, and there stands Shippou.

"Good morning, Mother, "Shippou says in his deep baritone voice.

"Shh, not so loud, Bruce doesn't know anything about my past yet."

"Were you planning on telling him?" Shippou asks.

"It depends on how things work out."

Shippou smirks, "Oh, so you like the good Doctor."

Kagome blushes, "Yes, I do."

"And how does his alter ego feel about you?"

"Oh, from what I can tell, Hulk adores me." 

"That's good, and I hope it all works out for you, Kagome."

"I hope so, too, but I get the feeling Bruce is a little hesitant."

"Why do you say that?"

"I can feel it in his aura, he's insecure and believes he's unworthy of being loved."

"I'm sure you can change his mind, mother," Shippou says as he hugs his mother.

At that point, Bruce comes down the stairs and sees them embracing, a wave of jealousy and longing washes over him, but he shakes his head and lets it go. Shippou looks up, seeing Dr. Banner, he lets go of his mother. He smiles at Bruce and approaches him

"Ah, Dr. Banner, it's good to see you again. I hope that you're doing well."

"Yes, Mr. Nakamura, I'm doing exceptionally well, Kagome has helped me out a lot," Bruce informs him. 

"Good, I'm glad to hear that, well should we get going, the car is waiting."

Kagome and Bruce both agree and head out of the house, Kagome grabbing her purse before leaving. She retakes hold of Bruce's arm as they walk down the steps of the shrine, Shippou notices, and grins. Getting to the limousine, they get in and head downtown to Taisho Industries.

When they arrive, they go into the research building that is next to Taisho Industries; it's where all the medical research is done. Shippou hands Bruce his key card so that he can get into the building. Riding the elevator up, Bruce begins to ask all sorts of questions.

"So, what does Taisho Industries do?"

We have our hand in pretty much everything, from clean energy to bioengineering to cancer and AIDS research. Mostly we deal with medical research," Shippou explains.

"And what exactly does Mr. Taisho want me to do," Bruce asks.

"He wants you to work on the development of new drugs for cancer patients, maybe even a cure. You will have all the resources you could need, your own lab, and staff that you can hire and fire at will. If that's not what you want to do, you can pick your field of study as long as it benefits Taisho Industries

With those words, the elevator door opens up to Bruce's own lab. He is in complete awe; all of the equipment is the state of the art that could rival Tony's equipment. He gets out of the elevator and begins to look around.

While Bruce is looking around, Kagome steps next to Shippou to ask him something.

"Tell, me Shippou, why is Sesshomaru investing in cancer research and drug therapy considering that he hates humans."

Shippou softly chuckles, "You humans are always getting sick, he makes a great deal of money off of your illnesses. It will make him a fortune if his company finds the cure." Shippou whispers. 

Then Shippou speaks louder, "All this equipment is at your disposal, Doctor, whenever you feel you can come to work. You will, of course, have to sign a non-disclosure contract about what you have seen here and what equipment we have, as none of it is available outside this company."

Bruce looks at Shippou and nods, "Yes, of course."

Kagome can already see the eagerness in his eyes to get started.

"Now, Dr. Banner, if you'll just follow me, we'll go to my office and discuss your contract."

Kagome and Bruce follow Shippou back into the elevator, and down to the first floor, where Shippou uses his keycard to open a door that connects the two buildings. Taking yet another elevator, they head up to Shippou's office. Once they arrive, Shippou offers Kagome and Bruce a seat while he sits behind his desk. He begins to explain that he will be paid very well for his research, Bruce will have a month's vacation paid, full medical benefits, not as he needs them. A company car and driver if he wants one. Use of Sesshomaru private island for vacation. A penthouse apartment in one of the buildings that Sesshomaru owns, he would also be to set his own hours.

Bruce was a little overwhelmed, he had no idea that they would offer him so much, but he was curious about one thing. "Do I have to accept the apartment right now?"

"No, of course not, Dr. Banner, the apartment will be available to you whenever you decide to take it. I understand that you are still working on your other issue with Kagome, so that's not a problem. And the contract is only for one year, after that you are a free age. But whatever progress you made in your research stays with us."

"That seems fair, when do you want me to start," Bruce asks.

"Whenever you feel ready to, oh, and one more thing, there is a clause in everyone's contract that has any dealing with you not to reveal who you are or your location."

Bruce let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Shippou then slides the contract over to Bruce so he can read it. Bruce takes out his glasses and starts to read over the agreement. Once he's finished and satisfied with the terms, he signs it and hands it back to Shippou.

"Now let's go meet Sesshomaru," Shippou tells him.

They get up and cross the hall to Sesshomaru office, upon knocking, the door slowly opens.

"Sesshomaru, this is Dr. Bruce Banner," Shippou says as they enter the office. 

Bruce enters a little timidly into the room when he spots a tall man with long black hair tied in a ponytail standing across the room, staring out the window. The man turns around, and Bruce sees that he has sharp aristocratic features and a frown upon his face. 

"Dr. Banner, I have heard a great deal about you and your skills."

"I'm sure you have," Bruce says.

"If you are referring to your other half, I am completely uninterested in that. I am only interested in your genius. I assume you found the contract agreeable?"

"Yes, Mr. Taisho, it was most agreeable."

"Good, then I expect you to start working as soon as the Miko says you are under control, you may leave now."

With that, Sesshomaru turns to gaze out the window once again. Kagome takes Bruce by the arm and pulls him out of Sesshomaru's office. Once they leave, Shippou invites them both to a French restaurant for lunch. 

Once they finish lunch, the car takes Bruce and Kagome back to the shrine, and Shippou goes back to the office. They go into the house and sit on the sofa. Kagome turns to Bruce.

"So, what did you think of Sesshomaru?"

"Is he always so sunny," Bruce asks sarcastically.

"You'll get used to it, at least he spoke to you, normally he just nods."

Bruce laughs, "So when do you deem me fit to go to work?"

Kagome looks at him critically, "Honestly you can start tomorrow, if you want, Hulk is in complete control of himself, he knows not to come out unless there is a real danger and not to go on a rampage if he does because you're in his mind to guide him. So if you want to start tomorrow, we can go to work tomorrow."

Bruce becomes excited at the thought of going to do what he loves best, and not having to worry about the Other Guy. He couldn't wait to get to work again.

"Okay, tomorrow it is then," Bruce tells Kagome.

Kagome squeals and hugs Bruce, "I'm so happy for you, Bruce," Kagome says as she squeezes him tighter.

"Me too," Bruce says as he hugs her back, reveling in the feel of her in his arms.

'I am in so much trouble,' Bruce thinks.


	10. First Day of Work

Bruce and Kagome had one more meditation session where Hulk was allowed to come out and play with Kagome for a while before they went to bed that night. Kagome explained to Hulk what was going on and that he should only come out if Bruce was in mortal danger and only to protect him, not to go on a rampage. Hulk agreed, and, of course, Bruce heard everything. He was delighted that now he had better control over the Other Guy and that he could finally lead a semi-normal life.

Kagome did recommend that he not keep longer than regular business hours as far as in the lab. She was pretty sure that all the time that Bruce would spend cooped up in the lab also added to Hulks anger because he was trapped too long in Bruce's body. That was going to be a bit difficult for Bruce, considering that when he got involved with something, he tended to forget about everything else.

"Don't worry, Bruce, I'll make sure you eat regularly and go home on time since you and I will be sharing a car home every night."

Bruce blushes, "What do you mean?"

"Well, Tokyo is such a busy city. I normally have a driver take me to and from work. It saves me the stress of driving myself or taking the train. So I thought we would just share my car." Kagome explains.

"That would be just fine, Kagome, what time do I need to get up?"

"We need to leave by 6:00 to be there by 8:00, morning traffic can be brutal, so I'd say around 5 am, though you can sleep in the car if you like."

Bruce agreed, once their plans her settled, they all had dinner and head for bed. By the time Bruce was up showered and changed, Kagome and Emiko were downstairs with breakfast ready.

"What time did you get up," Bruce asks.

"I got up at 4:30; my mom wanted to make sure we both had a good breakfast for our first day of work."

"That's very kind of you, Emiko, but you don't have to go through all that trouble."

"It's no trouble, now hurry and eat your breakfast, before you run out of time."

Kagome and Bruce sat down to breakfast with Emiko, when they were finished, Kagome collected their plates and was going to do the dishes, but her mother told her to leave them. Once they were ready, Kagome went upstairs and grabbed her briefcase and a gift for Bruce. She smiles and heads downstairs.

Meeting Bruce at the door, they walk down the steps of the shrine together, with Kagome holding onto his arm. When they get to the bottom of the steps, there is a driver already waiting for them. Bruce opens the door for Kagome and helps her get in. His eyes linger on her legs as she gets in. He clears his throat then gets into the car. Once they settle in and put their seatbelts on, the driver leaves. Kagome opens her briefcase and hands, Bruce, his gift.

"I got this for you when Sesshomaru first told me that he wanted to hire you."

"Oh, Kagome, you didn't have to get me anything you've given so much as it is."

"I wanted to, please accept it."

Bruce sighs and opens the gift, and it's a black messenger bag with his initials on it. When he opens the bag, there is a nicely pressed white lab coat, with his name sewn above the pocket. He shakes out the coat, and whatever wrinkles on it disappear.

"It's wrinkle-free, you never have to press it," Kagome explains.

"Thank you, Kagome, they're lovely gifts, I appreciate it."

What Kagome didn't tell him was that it was Youkai made, so it was fireproof just in case. They sat in comfortable silence while the driver drove them through Tokyo. While Bruce stares out the window, Kagome starts to fall asleep slowly. She leans her head against Bruce's shoulder and begins to fall asleep. Bruce smiles at the sight of Kagome asleep on his shoulder; he wraps an arm around her and holds her tight. Feeling at peace, he lays his head on Kagome's and closes his eyes, falling into a light slumber. 

Bruce wakes up when he feels the car comes to a stop. Looking around, he notices that they have already arrived at Taisho Industries. He shakes Kagome awake as the driver opens the door for them, getting out of the car, he offers his hand to Kagome to help her out. Kagome smiles at Bruce and gives him her thanks. 

She ends up going with him to his lab since they arrived early. When they go into Bruce's office, Bruce notices a stack of files of potential employees to come work in his lab. He begins to go through some of the candidates, most of whom are already employed with Taisho Industries, though there are a few from outside the company.

"Well, I guess the first thing I need to do is hire a staff. I noticed that a lot of the potential employees already work for the company."

"Yes, we try to promote inside the company first, and then go outside. And working with you, Bruce is a big promotion for anyone you pick."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah, you are held in the highest regards by a lot of people in this region and not because you're an Avenger."

Bruce blushes at Kagome's comment. 

Kagome looks at her watch, and sighs, "Well I'll let you get to work on your screening, would you like to have lunch with me today," Kagome asks.

"Yes, of course," Bruce tells her.

"Great, I'll be by at noon, then. Have a great day, Bruce, and if you need anything, give me a call. Oh, I got you a cell phone too, it's in the bag. My number is already programmed into it along with Shippou's and Sesshomaru's just in case."

"Thank you, Kagome, but you didn't have to."

"Bruce, I wanted to," Kagome says as she hugs him.

"See you at lunch."

With that, Kagome leaves Bruce's lab, and he gets to work looking over the files. He was so engrossed in his work that he didn't even notice the time when Kagome comes back into his office carrying her purse. He looks up and takes off his glasses.

"Did you forget something, Kagome?"

Kagome giggled, "Oh Bruce, it's noon already, time for lunch."

He looks at his watch, amazed that time has flown by, he gives Kagome a sheepish smile and takes off his lab coat.

"Sorry, time sort of got away from me."

"I noticed, come on I made reservations at an Indian restaurant down the street, we can walk there."

"Lead the way."

Kagome takes Bruce by the hand and leads him out of the building. Once they get to the street, She takes his arm, and they walk to the Indian restaurant. They have a nice lunch, and Bruce tells her about all the potential employees he's going to hire. She smiles at the excitement in his eyes and lays a hand on his while he's talking. Bruce looks down at their hand but doesn't remove his hand. He enjoys the feel of her hand on his. The Other Guy purrs in his head at the feel of Kagome's hand on his.

Once lunch was over, they head back to the office, each going their separate ways. Bruce continues to go through the candidates he deems fit to come work for him, then he sets up the interview time with these people. The next day he would start the interview process. Once Bruce finished that, he began to calibrate the equipment he was going to be working with and getting to know the new technology. Before he knew it, it was 6:00, and Kagome was back in the lab to take him home.

When they got home, the quick change and head out into the forest to do their nightly meditation session and give Hulk a chance to stretch his legs, but there is something different about hulk that evening. Bruce tried to get into Hulks head, but Hulk wouldn't let him, so Bruce was trapped only getting bit and pieces of what was going on. Hulk sat across from Kagome, then reaches out to pick her up. He cradles her in his arms and smells her hair. Kagome smiles and hugs Hulk back.

"My, why are you so affectionate today?"

"Hulk miss 'Gome."

"You saw me yesterday."

Hulk shrugs, then he gets this cheeky look in his eyes and sets Kagome down. Kagome looks at Hulk and raises an eyebrow.

"What?"

Hulk grins at her, "Hulk know something."

"What is it a secret?"

Hulk nods.

"What is it, Hulk," Kagome asks, wanting to laugh at the look on Hulk's face. 

Hulk leans forward and gets close to Kagome's ear, "Puny Banner like 'Gome."

"Oh well, I like him too."

"Hulk shakes his head, "Banner wants mate 'Gome."

Kagome turns bright red, "What?"

"Banner want 'Gome for mate."

Kagome's mouth falls open, "Are you sure?"

Hulk grunts and nods his head.

"Oh, my Kami." Was all that Kagome could say.


End file.
